I don’t believe in a lifestyle where you have to chronically get away to cope. To me that means precious moments are lost, beared through until we can get to what we really want. Life is too short for that. I’ve been there though and seen numerous patients over the years experience significantly better health once they found a way to make their life work. For all of the above, I think ashrams are an excellent option.
Ashrams are places of religious retreat, often based in the practice of Hinduism. You can be of any religion or faith to go. You just need to be open. If you seek luxury living, an ashram isn’t where you will find it, but the simplicity and good energy are nurturing, restorative and more than make up for it. The food is usually excellent and the air quality is amaziing. Activities include yoga, meditation, chanting, and satsangs (services on spiritual enlightenment).
I call this article Ashrams Over Asylums because I truly believe that for most of us, either we take the necessary time out for ourselves to balance the often active, “yang” life with more “yin” focused and internal time, or the body will find a way to make you take that break and often not in such a nice way. When we don’t take this time to nourish ourselves and get back to basics, we can make ourselves sick and drives ourselves crazy. Not to mention the high workloads, personal and political dramas and the isms that many of us face. I think that if more of us visited ashrams, our mental, physical and spiritual health would not only be better, but stay better.
If you decide to go to an ashram, know that there may be certain rules including not having meat, eggs, or alcohol on premise, needing to participate in at least some of the activities and wearing modest clothes. The picture in this article is from one of my most recent visit to an ashram, Sivananda in Woodbourne, NY.
Here is a link to a list of ashrams.
Enjoy!
Love being a woman,
Dr. Danett
